At Tara Books, they don’t believe in an ideal reader; rather, they believe that every book finds its reader. Founder Gita Wolf says this has stood them in good stead over the years, helping them bring out books they believe in. “Being uncompromising about a book’s integrity has also earned us respect,” she adds. The last two decades have seen them pioneer a lot—like bringing tribal and folk traditions into books and experimenting with form (from content and design to paper and printing). “The Book Building—where we host events, conduct workshops and have residencies, besides operating our own book store and gallery—has also changed how we do a lot of things. We have expanded beyond publishing into a cultural space,” she admits.
Looking to the future, Wolf explains that they want to experiment more with form—like Japanese artist Nao Saito’s book, Travels Through the Tamil Kitchen, to be launched later this year. “It is an architectural book that also talks about travel, food and recipes. When you open it, it will unfold like an apartment,” she smiles, before listing out some of her favourite books from the last 20 years.